Beets

FARGO, N.D. -- With beet acres stuck in wet fields on the north end of the Red River Valley, American Crystal Sugar Co.'s board of directors decided Oct. 23 to allow harvest of any beets that growers planted. Crystal spokesman Jeff Schweitzer says growers who had been allowed to plant up to 88 percent of preferred stock acres now can harvest them all. As of Oct. 23, the farmer-owned cooperative had harvested 80 percent of the planted acres, which totaled 430,000 this year. Farmers in the northern Drayton, N.D., area were the furthest behind, with an average of 68 percent of the planted acres harvested, Schweitzer says.

Dear Readers: Thank you for your prompt attention to my beet problem. As you recall, last month's article was about the over abundance of beets that I had growing in my garden and the need to use them in a useful manner. Well, with the help from you readers, I have found several sure-fire cures for my problem. I'd like to share one of those cures with you today. And the story goes like this... I fooled 'em this time. Oh, my aching head! I can feel my brain cells growing already!

One of our readers, John D. Gebhart of Watertown, took me to task on the lack of information I have on beets. I appreciate the education he provided me. Here is what he wrote: A couple of weeks ago your column mentioned beets. I was surprised at the lack of information about beets that you had. As a child I hated beets in any form. As an adult I have come to know them as a delicious, sweet vegetable that can be used boiled, baked or raw and from top to bottom. Raw shredded (long shreds done with a grater)

FARGO, N.D. -- As February slips toward March, sugar beet farmers in the Red River Valley still face "massive uncertainty" about whether they'll be planting Roundup Ready sugar beets in 2011. The issue affects the ease of growing a hard-to-manage crop, and whether farmers in the eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota region will lose a technology that has come with significant yield increases in the past two years. For opponents, it's an issue of whether the U.S. Department of Agriculture properly approves genetically modified crops.

MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) - Kirk Watt is preparing his field of sugar beets for harvest just east of here. He didn't plant the genetically modified Roundup Ready beets this year, but wishes he had. "We had non-Roundup here and the guy over there has Roundup and I tell you, his look better," said Watt, ruefully. "It's not so much now, but boy, in June it was just night and day difference. " This field has large areas where a thick crop of pigweed dwarfs the sugar beets. The weeds are more than a nuisance, they lower crop yield and cost the farmer thousands of dollars.

MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) - Sugar beet seed that has built-in resistance to the popular Roundup herbicide is expected to be in widespread use next year, as governments and sugar processors approve the biotech beets. In the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota, American Crystal Sugar Co. has decided to make the jump. "It's a pretty major step," Crystal President David Berg said. "Here at American Crystal, we believe biotechnology is the current wave that will help feed the world. " The Worland, Wyo.-based Wyoming Sugar Co. planted about one-sixth of its 12,000 acres to Roundup Ready beets this year.

I've spent plenty of lots of hours in our kitchen but tackled something this past weekend that made me seek the counsel of a number of people before taking the plunge. Beautiful red beets graced my counter while I tried to make up my mind what to do with them. Maybe it's because the intense color, the aroma and the distinct taste of beets affect everyone differently. Maybe I'm just getting ?old? and am not as adventuresome. Individually, cooking soup and cooking beets isn't something that I generally spend much time thinking about - I could easily do one or the other.

A gift of fresh-baked goodies is always appreciated as a holiday offering, and you canÂ?t Â?beetÂ? the homemade charm of these delightful, make-ahead mini loaves. Big on flavor and small in size, Mini Beet & Carrot Gift Loaves are moist and tender inside with bits of pickled beets sparkling like tangy jewels throughout. The addition of beets is unusual but they help keep the loaves moist and add an unexpected and complementary flavor to the spicy batter. Convenient products like Aunt NellieÂ?

Well, if that don't beat all! Durn the luck, but my brain cavity couldn't see the trees for the forest. I guess I should have remembered the advice from the Song of the Lazy Farmer, who used to espouse sitting back and relaxing and letting life's problems work out all by themselves. And the story goes like this.... Royal root results On one very warm afternoon, I came in from the garden and decided enough was enough. It was just plain too hot outside to do anything. So, I turned on the television and there was Dr. Oz talking about the benefits of beets and beet juice.

For your next party, add something new to your repertoire of tried and true. This quick, delicious Â? and trendy Â? spread is a welcome addition to any occasion. The bold ingredient combination in Beet & Blue Cheese Spread with Garlic Crostini creates a taste explosion thatÂ?s sure to wow guests. This yummy, nutty, cheesy appetizer stars a colorful layer of chopped pickled beets accented with citrusy orange zest. The garlic crostini adds a pleasant crunch. Well-loved by chefs for their complex flavors, beets have become a stylish addition to starters, salads and sides on restaurant menus nationwide.

WAHPETON, N.D. - They're cleaning out the last of the 2012 crop beets at Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative, and David Roche will soon be cleaning out his desk. "Yes, it's going to feel strange," says Roche, whose career has been in the industry for 36 years and whose family has been in the industry for a total of 70 years. Minn-Dak recently announced that Roche will retire Aug. 31 from a post he's held since 2001, and that he'll be replaced by Kurt Wickstrom of Chaska, Minn. Minn-Dak is owned by nearly 500 shareholders and has about $300 million in annual revenue.

Farmers considering energy beet production in the future should assess what herbicides they use during this growing season due to potential residue impact. Many growers across North Dakota are looking hard at a new industrial crop called energy beets, which are sugar beets bred for the biofuel market and industrial purposes such as high-value chemicals, says Mohamed Khan, a sugar beet specialist at North Dakota State University. Even if producers don't plant energy beets for a few years, they should be mindful of what herbicides they use on their crops this year.

GRAFTON, N.D. (AP) - An Iowa man who spoke to North Dakota farmers last year about supplying sugar beets for an ethanol plant in the Red River Valley has been ordered by regulators in his home state to stop soliciting investments for Energae LP. That company last year said it planned to buy the shuttered Alchem Ltd. ethanol-from-corn plant in the northeastern North Dakota city of Grafton and refurbish it to turn beets into the alternative fuel....

The need for producing environmentally friendly fuel alternatives to displace the use of petroleum in the U.S. has scientists at many research universities studying the feasibility of potential biofuel feedstocks. At North Dakota State University, the feasibility of using new sugar beet varieties, known as energy beets, for ethanol production is under study. Energy beets have characteristics very similar to sugar beets used for table sugar production. Sugar beets for table sugar production are stored conventionally in open piles for up to six months under extremely low temperatures.

The North Dakota State University Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics is part of a grant to develop enhanced energy sugar beets that are optimized for biofuel production. The grant is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-e). Other partners in the $1.8 million, three-year program are Plant Sensory Systems LLC in Baltimore, Md., and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Plant Sensory LLC and the USDA will engineer beets to use fertilizer and water more efficiently and produce higher levels of fermentable sugars, compared with current feedstocks.

WASHINGTON -- South Dakota bison will be on the menu when congressional leaders entertain President Barack Obama and his family at a post-inaugural luncheon on Jan. 21. They will be served a farm-to-table menu celebrating the inaugural theme, "Faith in America's Future," Obama Foodorama reported Jan. 8. The hour-long luncheon for 225 guests to be served in the National Statuary Hall will feature steamed Maine lobster tail topped with a New...

FARGO, N.D. -- With beet acres stuck in wet fields on the north end of the Red River Valley, American Crystal Sugar Co.'s board of directors decided Oct. 23 to allow harvest of any beets that growers planted. Crystal spokesman Jeff Schweitzer says growers who had been allowed to plant up to 88 percent of preferred stock acres now can harvest them all. As of Oct. 23, the farmer-owned cooperative had harvested 80 percent of the planted acres, which totaled 430,000 this year. Farmers in the northern Drayton, N.D., area were the furthest behind, with an average of 68 percent of the planted acres harvested, Schweitzer says.

Drought conditions and increasing livestock feed prices have sheep producers searching for alternative feedstuffs. Sugar beet byproducts could be a viable option to provide high-quality forage in sheep operations in the upper Midwest, according to Reid Redden, North Dakota State University Extension Service sheep specialist, and Alison Crane, a graduate student in NDSU's Animal Sciences Department. Minnesota, North Dakota, Idaho and Montana together generate about 74 percent of the country's sugar beets.

Dear Readers: Thank you for your prompt attention to my beet problem. As you recall, last month's article was about the over abundance of beets that I had growing in my garden and the need to use them in a useful manner. Well, with the help from you readers, I have found several sure-fire cures for my problem. I'd like to share one of those cures with you today. And the story goes like this... I fooled 'em this time. Oh, my aching head! I can feel my brain cells growing already!

Well, if that don't beat all! Durn the luck, but my brain cavity couldn't see the trees for the forest. I guess I should have remembered the advice from the Song of the Lazy Farmer, who used to espouse sitting back and relaxing and letting life's problems work out all by themselves. And the story goes like this.... Royal root results On one very warm afternoon, I came in from the garden and decided enough was enough. It was just plain too hot outside to do anything. So, I turned on the television and there was Dr. Oz talking about the benefits of beets and beet juice.